Chapter 1763: Admitting Mistakes, Accepting Punishment, and Adjusting the Order

Although Xia Duo remained calm on the surface, he was quite concerned about who would show up, especially Keluosi; if the other party did not come, he would only be able to proceed with a "trial in absentia."

The effect would be worse than the other party being present in person, and it would leave behind excuses for wrangling in the future.

Therefore, when Xia Duo saw Keluosi teleporting in with a gloomy expression, he couldn't have been happier; after Keluosi entered, no one else arrived.

Among them, only three from the Seven Towers came, namely Sikumu, Huo En, and Haruisi, while all the Great Arcanists who were not from the Seven Towers were present.

This naturally included Bailun—although he was the Princess's teacher, his relationship with Giles Tower was complicated, especially under the current circumstances of being openly and covertly squeezed out by Sikumu; it was almost no different from having broken away.

……

After everyone had arrived, Iolum temporarily sealed the Huanxingdating and then announced the start of the meeting.

"The first agenda item is proposed by the convener of this meeting, Xia Duo, regarding the Verdant Tower's unauthorized use of the Tower of Time's unique Communication Magic Tool design scheme. Regarding this matter, Keluosi, do you have anything to say?"

As soon as the words fell, everyone in the Huanxingdating cast their gaze toward Keluosi; some were surprised, some were shocked, and some were secretly sizing him up with ill intent.

Except for Councilor Kaboer of the Arcane Union in the gallery, who, as the younger brother of the involved party Keluosi, understood this matter better than anyone else present due to his dual identity.

It was precisely because he understood that he became increasingly uneasy; he forced himself to remain calm, but still cast an anxious glance at his brother.

At this moment, at the center of everyone's gaze, although Keluosi's expression was gloomy, he did not lose his composure too much. Facing Iolum's questioning, he only replied in a deep voice:

"In this matter, it was indeed my subordinates who did wrong; I admit it."

"Xia Duo?" Iolum once again directed everyone's gaze toward Xia Duo.

Although Xia Duo was surprised that Keluosi admitted to the piracy in public, with everyone looking at him, he kept his expression normal and stood up calmly, saying:

"I hope the Verdant Tower will stop using that design scheme and provide the Tower of Time with the compensation it deserves for the previous offense."

If this were just a single case of piracy, and Keluosi's attitude in admitting his mistake was this good, then Xia Duo at least shouldn't keep pressing the issue; perhaps they could even "let bygones be bygones."

But this matter was not just about this one incident; it concerned the standard for adjudicating a series of similar events in the future. If a precedent could not be set, then even if the scene were harmonious, it would be meaningless.

In fact, Xia Duo had already mentally prepared for Keluosi to refuse to admit it.

Long before he prepared to convene the Council of Great Arcanists, he had already asked Iolum to secure evidence. Although there might be no traces left now, who would have thought back then that he would be so meticulous?

And just after Xia Duo put forward his request, Keluosi only frowned slightly before agreeing to it, and asked: "I wonder how much compensation Lord Xia Duo requires?"

Xia Duo had long been prepared for this question and said directly: "For every Communication Magic Tool sold by the Verdant Tower using the Tower of Time's design scheme, the Verdant Tower must compensate the Tower of Time 200 Gold Coins."

This was actually the cost of the Communication Magic Tool; it was not much, but if they sold a lot, it would be quite painful.

Keluosi frowned again, "Based on the number of Communication Magic Tools sold? Is Lord Xia Duo not afraid that I will recall the Communication Magic Tools that have already been sold?"

"Let me interject."

As soon as Iolum spoke, he drew everyone's attention. He then pointed to the center of the circular conference table, where the swimming blue radiance suddenly evolved into a map of the south, with several bright blue dots catching people's attention.

"After the request to convene the meeting was proposed, Xia Duo entrusted the Arcane Union to investigate the number of Communication Magic Tools within the scope of the Southern Verdant Tower Alliance, of which 247 conform to the Tower of Time's design."

This number was actually still conservative, as Scrying spells were not omnipotent; as long as they did not leave the Mage Tower, they generally could not be detected. Furthermore, Advanced Rank Mages also had specialized Avoidance of Detection spells.

If one were to count those sold outside the Verdant Tower Alliance, 247 was already a very conservative number.

Of course, even if it were possible to investigate exactly how many imitation Communication Magic Tools the Verdant Tower had sold, Xia Duo still had to consider the possibility that the amount would be too large and Keluosi would simply give up.

The first patent infringement case—although it was not yet possible to formally propose the term "patent infringement," that was the reality. Whether it was Xia Duo or Iolum, they had to ensure it was successfully executed so that a precedent could be formed.

If it could not be executed, it was equivalent to nothing.

……

Perhaps the pressure from the Seven Towers was too great this time; regarding Xia Duo's accusation and request, Keluosi had almost no resistance.

"I understand. After the meeting ends, I will have someone send the compensation to the Arcane Union."

Keluosi's words echoed in the Huanxingdating. In the gallery, hearing his brother's answer, which could be called humiliating, Kaboer subconsciously clenched his right hand into a fist, and his not-so-sharp nails dug deep into his palm, with trickles of blood seeping out.

Although he felt very aggrieved, Kaboer knew that this was already a relatively ideal result. He had vaguely heard of the ultimatum issued by the Seven Towers before today, but when he asked his brother, Keluosi was unwilling to mention it.

Therefore, Kaboer's main purpose in attending this meeting today was to persuade his brother at the critical moment and not let him be too impulsive.

Looking at it now, his brother was far more mature than he had imagined.

……

After the first agenda item, the atmosphere in the Huanxingdating became heavier. The people in the gallery around the hall were so careful even with their breathing, for fear of displeasing someone or some people.

Iolum also noticed that the atmosphere was wrong, but this meeting today was intended from the beginning to publicly denounce Keluosi.

With the atmosphere as it was now, it was inevitable that Magna, Kelifu, and other non-Seven Towers Great Arcanists would feel a sense of "sympathy for their own kind."

Looking at the agenda list again, Iolum immediately understood the thoughts of these people from the Seven Towers. Once they decided to suppress someone, they would show no mercy. Following the agenda item of the convener Xia Duo, the next items were those manipulated by the Seven Towers targeting Keluosi.

Iolum considered it and decided to temporarily adjust the order of the agenda items, moving those manipulated by the Seven Towers to the back.

On one hand, it was to give others time to calm their emotions. The Seven Towers' targeting of Keluosi was not done at will, but because Keluosi had indeed violated an important unspoken rule that could be called the "cornerstone of Netheril's existence"—territorial independence.

On the other hand, it was also to avoid over-stimulating Keluosi. Of course, this point was mainly because this meeting was convened by Xia Duo, and he was worried about attracting hatred toward Xia Duo.

Iolum certainly had to uphold the principle of neutrality, but as long as it did not violate principles, favoring those close to him was also human nature.